Del Beach Bash Fireworks 2015

Appearing to resemble a palm tree, Pyro Spectaculars worked a small show like Coronado, but will be the specialists behind the Big Bay Boom as well on Saturday night. (John Gastaldo)

Del Beach Bash Fireworks 2015

Using a 35mm DSLR, anyone can capture images of fireworks using a steady tripod and a very slow shutter speed. (John Gastaldo)

Del Beach Bash Fireworks 2015

It’s best to set the lens to manual and the focus to infinity and then hit the shutter button and wait for the magic to appear. (John Gastaldo)

Del Beach Bash Fireworks 2015

The results will be uneven and imperfect, but sometimes there is art in the imperfect. (John Gastaldo)

Del Beach Bash Fireworks 2015

Keeping the camera steady with a tripod is mandatory. (John Gastaldo)

Del Beach Bash Fireworks 2015

But once in a while, shaking the camera on a secondary rocket produces some truly stunning results. (John Gastaldo)

Del Beach Bash Fireworks 2015

Use the point of launch as a reference to where the shells will explode. A small show like this one had shells exploding not more than 200 feet in the air. Bigger shows will have higher explosions. (John Gastaldo)

Del Beach Bash Fireworks 2015

Even an overexposed fireworks shot may appear to look like a giant sparker. (John Gastaldo)